Gallery at 14 Maple

In collaboration with the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Morris Arts sponsors two art exhibits each year in this LEED-certified “green” space, located in the common areas on the 3rd floor of 14 Maple Ave., Morristown, NJ. The gallery is open to the public Mondays-Thursdays from 10am to 4pm and on Fridays from 10am to 1pm and by appointment, call (973) 285-5115 for additional information

The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and Morris Arts work closely with the artists selected for the exhibits at the Gallery at 14 Maple.

Gallery at 14 Maple opens powerful new exhibit : COMPASSION: Is it the Radicalism of Our Time? on September 20th

Posted onSeptember 5, 2018

On September 20, 2018 Morris Arts hosted a free opening reception for the Gallery at 14 Maple’s twentieth exhibit entitled COMPASSION: Is It the Radicalism of Our Time? The Exhibition Committee of Morris Arts, guest curator Adrienne Wheeler and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation selected works created by 15 outstanding artists (paintings, mixed media, prints, photographs, sculpture, collage, and digital art) for display at the Gallery, a distinctive space located on the 3rd floor of the LEED certified “green” building at 14 Maple Ave., Morristown.

Cicely Cottingham’s acrylic on tracing vellum, Flag for HRC (To all the people you can)

Guest Curator Adrienne Wheeler adds the following insight about the exhibit: “Is compassion the radicalism of our time, as the Dalai Lama asserts? If so, what is the manifestation of this empathy? The objective of this exhibition is not to offer moral critique, but rather to focus on the capacity for art to expose the existence of this phenomenon in the artist’s practice.”

Morris Arts gratefully acknowledges support for this exhibit, with partnership from

and additional support from

The exhibit is open to the public Monday-Friday from 10am to 4pm and by appointment, and will remain on display until February 14, 2019. Visit www.morrisarts.org or call (973) 285-5115 for additional information, including the exhibit catalogue which contains details and sale prices for all works. The Gallery at 14 Maple is a barrier-free facility. Individuals needing special accommodation should contact Carlos Sotelo at (973) 285-5115, x 17 or csotelo@morrisarts.org.

Nearly 200 enthusiastic people attended the March 15th opening reception for the Gallery at 14 Maple’s nineteenth exhibit, entitled approachingVIBRANCY. For this occasion, the Exhibition Committee of Morris Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, with guest co-curators, Mary Birmingham and Sarah Walko (both from the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey), selected works by 39 outstanding New Jersey women artists (culled from over 1,000 submissions!).

The co-curators explain: “In curating this show, we looked for art that conveyed the idea of vibrancy—a state of being that is filled with energy and life unhindered by internal or external barriers. We were rewarded with works by a diverse group of women artists from across the state that pulsates with dynamic energy. The show includes vivid portraits of women and girls, work exploring the beauty and vulnerability of nature and more. The exhibition shows the diverse ways women artists are working now, from textile and fiber to painting, collage, photography, and various forms of sculpture. approachingVIBRANCY is an aspiration toward dynamism, action, passion, energy, ebullience, and vitality.”

Additionally, at the opening reception, the winners of the Ehlers and Coladarci Arts Scholarships (pianist John Duc-Tuan Nguyen and actress Nicole Giordano, respectively) along with visual artist Coral Coad, who won Honorable Mention, were introduced and recognized for their achievements.

The exhibit runs through August 24, 2018. The distinctive space of the Gallery at 14 Maple, is located on the 3rd floor of the LEED certified “green” building at 14 Maple Avenue in Morristown, NJ. Morris Arts gratefully acknowledges sponsorship for this exhibit by

osted onFebruary 27, 2018

iCandy, artwork by Dan Fenelon, opens Sept. 28 in Gallery at 14 Maple

Posted onAugust 28, 2017

On September 28, 2017 from 6-8pm, nearly 90 people joined Morris Arts at the free opening reception for the Gallery at 14 Maple’s eighteenth exhibit entitled icandy. The Exhibition Committee of Morris Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation selected 28 works created between 2009 and 2017 by Morristown artist Dan Fenelon (paintings, mixed media, prints on wood and sculpture) for display at the Gallery, a distinctive space located on the 3rd floor of the LEED certified “green” building at 14 Maple Ave., Morristown.

Acrylic, paint, marker, collage on canvas, Vestige

Acrylic, Crashing Creatures

Acrylic and collage, Cardinal

Acrylic and collage on gallery board, Petro

Drawing printed on wood, Into the Wild

Plastic 3D printed sculpture and acrylic, Tooka

Fenelon’s dramatic imagery references ancient tribal petroglyphs and reflects his study of and interest in mythology, art history and early civilizations. His unique, highly recognizable visual language has developed over years of constant sketching, drawing and painting (on surfaces large and small). No viewer can forget his intricate designs, the shapes within shapes, the fantastical creatures, or his vibrant colors – ranging from intense “pop culture” hues, to the bold red/black and white combinations or the subtle grey/black/ white blends. Fenelon’s distinctive images are infused with energy and often combine the lighthearted with deeply meaningful expressions, always encouraging that “closer look.” Perhaps most striking is Fenelon’s ability to simultaneously work across a wide stylistic range utilizing ever-evolving media, from canvas to surfboards to 3D printed objects – and to do so with artistic integrity and skill.

Montclair Art Museum Director Lora Urbanelli said; “Dan approaches his canvas intent on capturing a deep and serious cultural spirit.In the synthesis, myth and symbol are processed through a graphic filter that combines depth of meaning with a lighthearted and dazzling presentation. The result is both youthful and mature, thought-provoking and downright fun!” Speaking of his work, Fenelon stated, “My work is a response to the dissatisfaction in the world today. I have seen firsthand how art can transform people, places and neighborhoods. My goal is to create art that inspires and uplifts.”

Fenelon trained at the Arts Student League in NY and the Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston. He has had seventeen one man shows in galleries from Chelsea (NYC) to Los Angeles (CA) and has produced giant public artworks in and around New Jersey as well as a featured mural exhibit at the Montclair Art Museum. He has a unique ability to inspire people of all ages, engaging them in the creation of a large portfolio of public art murals and sculptures and attracting such clients as Major League Baseball, the Montclair Art Museum, Atlantic Health, and the municipalities of Orange (NJ), Newark (NJ), and Grand Rapids (MI). Fenelon’s works hang in private collections, corporate offices and galleries while his murals in urban neighborhoods throughout the tristate area have enabled him to share his artistic gifts with populations as diverse as his artwork. He is also well known for his school residency programs and as the artist/operator of the Montclair Art Museum Art Truck which has involved the creative participation of thousands of people in the NY metro area.

Morris Arts gratefully acknowledges sponsorship for this exhibit by

with partnership from

and additional support from

The exhibit is open to the public Monday-Friday from 10am to 4pm and by appointment, and will remain on display until February 24, 2018 . Visit www.morrisarts.org or call (973) 285-5115 for additional information, including the exhibit catalogue which contains details and sale prices for all works. The Gallery at 14 Maple is a barrier-free facility. Individuals needing special accommodation should contact Kadie Dempsey at (973) 285-5115, x 17 or kdempsey@morrisarts.org.

Common Ground opened March 8, 2017 in Gallery at 14 Maple

Posted onFebruary 17, 2017On March 8, 2017 nearly 100 people attended the opening reception for the Gallery at 14 Maple’s seventeenth exhibit, entitled COMMON GROUND – along with the presentation of the Ehlers and Coladarci Scholarships. It was a fascinating and inspiring evening.

Here are some photos from the Opening:

Artist Alaine Becker with Curator Jeanne Brasile

Artists Alaine Becker and Alex Piccirillo in front of Alaine’s work

Artists Mel Leipzig and Dominant Dansby with Curator Jeanne Brasile in front of Dominant’s work

Scholarship Winners Lila Dunn (Coladarci) and Ethan Whang (Ehlers)

Artist Dahlia Elsayed in front of her work

Artist Mel Leipzig with his daughter and grandsons in front of his painting

For this show, the Exhibition Committee of Morris Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, with guest curator, Jeanne Brasile, selected works by six outstanding New Jersey artists, including Alaine Becker (South Orange); Dominant Dansby (Jersey City); Dahlia Elsayed (Palisades Park); Heejung Kim (Bogota); Mel Leipzig (Trenton) and Alex Piccirillo (Nutley). As Curator Brasile states, “There are many sayings in many cultures that note the importance of the collective. Unfortunately, in difficult times such as now, we tend to focus on the things that divide us…This group exhibition, Common Ground endeavors to express the interconnectedness of the human experience through a variety of artistic impressions.”

Using graphite on paper, Alaine Becker suggests flesh and bone with her intriguing organic forms that investigate the body and its internal structures while Dominant Dansby bridges nature and artifice with his found materials assemblages that evoke compartments of the brain and the way we store and retrieve information. With whimsy and sly humor, Dahlia Elsayed draws on pop culture, using thought clouds to capture random sensations we all have had throughout any given day. Taking a more spiritual approach, Heejung Kim’s works reference the meditative aspects of mandalas and, with great delicacy, reveal the very neurons that power our thoughts and feelings. By contrast, Mel Leipzig’s works focus on the human experience, portraying friends and family and the places they inhabit, utilizing the external landscapes to illuminate the internal qualities of each individual portrait. By contrast, Alex Piccirillo’s portraits exclude a “setting” and focus entirely on the individuals portrayed, capturing the mood and emotion of private moments, of stillness and solitude.

The public is invited to view this exciting exhibit and to meet the artists at the free opening reception on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 from 6-8pm at Gallery at 14 Maple, a distinctive space located on the 3rd floor of the LEED certified “green” building at 14 Maple Avenue in Morristown, NJ. Refreshments will be served.

The exhibit continues until August 24, 2017. The Gallery at 14 Maple is free and open to the public 10am-4pm Monday-Friday and by appointment.

Gallery at 14 Maple opens new exhibit, IN FLUX,

September 21, 2016 – February 16, 2017

On September 21, 2016 nearly 135 people attended the opening reception for the Gallery at 14 Maple’s sixteenth exhibit, entitled IN FLUX.For this occasion, the Exhibition Committee of Morris Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, with guest curator, Virginia Fabbri Butera, PhD, selected works by eleven outstanding artists. The exhibit reflects the complexities and ever- shifting nature of our contemporary world, captured by the works by these very distinctive, diverse artists.

A trained physical chemist, Sunil Garg’s sculptures literally glow with light, color and organic energy while the exquisite precision of Joe Freeman’s stark black and white photos of clearcut landscapes testify eloquently against the destruction of precious natural resources. Bascove’s works pay homage to Art Deco and demonstrate her masterful collage techniques while Ed Fausty’s keen fisheye lens spotlights the beauties of often hidden, miniature natural worlds. Asha Ganpat’s works blend mystery, depicting ephemeral smoke with her unique black and gold palette, and humor, with her Art Vending Machine (whose capsules contain an original work of art, available for $1). By contrast, Danielle Masters’ art embodies millennial sensibilities, with energetic geometric shapes and bold, dramatic colors. Nupur Nishith provides a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional Indian artistic themes, whose intricate details, specific cultural references and striking colors intrigue the eye and mind. Ray Ogar’s vision is disturbing and nihilistic – featuring the “redacted” faces of zombie-like modern workers whose individuality and warmth has been brutally excised. A softer side of technology is seen in Pamela Shipley’s works, data-derived yet humanistic, with delicate colors and softly delineated forms. K.C. Tidemand’s architectural, structural works reveal a world of extreme precision and order and Michael Wolf’s small sculptures explore multiple media (alabaster, gold leaf, metal and wood) and evoke a sense of home, history and open doors to the universe.

The exhibit is open to the public Monday-Friday from 10am to 4pm and by appointment, and will remain on display until February 16, 2017. Visitwww.morrisarts.org or call (973) 285-5115 for additional information, including the exhibit catalogue which contains details and sale prices for all works. The Gallery at 14 Maple is a barrier-free facility. Individuals needing special accommodation should contact Kadie Dempsey at (973) 285-5115, x 17 orkdempsey@morrisarts.org.

Inspired by the biowall, the vertical garden of living plants within the exhibit space, Curator Murdock chose to focus the exhibit on plants and selected the title,Black, White and Green, to purposefully reflect that limited color palette as a means of unifying the exhibit. What is striking, however, is the richness and variety of the artists’ unique approaches to the theme – through their use of different media (collage, oil, cold wax painting, photography, charcoal drawings, wood sculpture, etc.), composition, and subtle gradations of color. As Murdock notes, “Casey Ruble’s paper collage illustrates a bundled bouquet of invasive plant species and Kathy Cantwell’s oil and cold wax on panel explores green color fields that resemble landscape. Richard Bottwin uses plant material as a medium and highlights the wood grain with stain and paint.” Pat Brentano combines cut paper and acrylic on canvas to highlight subtleties within the spectrum of green while Thea Clark, in essence, “creates” plant life with artificial turf, acrylic textile, cotton thread, wood and foam. Jose Camacho’s work focuses on the abstract, ghostly images of possible plant life in his black and white oils on paper. Similarly, stark black and white is used to highlight Nature’s geometric precision in Carol Nussbaum’s striking flower mandala photos. Riad Miah’s use of electric green and geometric units suggests plant life on a cellular level while Nancy Ori’s photographs cut to the essence of botanical forms, revealing hidden structures. Jessica Rohrer’s gouache captures the green fluidity and grace of a hosta plant while the dramatic and intense charcoal drawings of Raymond Saá suggest the explosive release of energy of segmented structures that seem to collapse, yet still bristle with vitality.

Carol Nussbaum’s Porcupine Mandala

Casey Ruble Nonnatives

Richard Bottwin’s Profile #9

Here are some photos from the opening:

Tom Werder, Katherine Murdock, and artist Riad Miah

artist Richard Bottwin, Katherine Murdock

artist Casey Ruble

artist Jessica Rohrer

artist Richard Bottwin, Dick Eger

artist Thea Clark, Nancy Schaenen

artist Thea Clark, her son and her work

artists Carol Nussbaum, Nancy Ori, Thea Clark

artist Carol Nussbaum

Gina Moran, Joanne McMillian

artist Jose Camacho

Curator Katherine Murdock with Mary Birmingham

Mary Birmingham, Casey Ruble

artist Nancy Ori

The public is invited to view this exciting exhibit and to meet the artists at the free opening reception on March 3, 2016 from 6-8pm at Gallery at 14 Maple, a distinctive space located on the 3rd floor of the LEED certified “green” building at 14 Maple Avenue in Morristown, NJ. Refreshments will be served.

Morris Arts gratefully acknowledges sponsorship for this exhibit by

with additional with additional support from

.

The exhibit is open to the public Monday-Friday from 10am to 4pm and by appointment, and will remain on display until August 24, 2016. Visitwww.morrisarts.org or call (973) 285-5115 for additional information, including the exhibit catalogue which contains details and sale prices for all works. The Gallery at 14 Maple is a barrier-free facility. Individuals needing special accommodation should contact Kadie Dempsey at (973) 285-5115, x 17 orkdempsey@morrisarts.org.

October 8, 2015-February 19, 2016

Christine Barney’s Ribbon Candy

Christine Tenaglia’s Untitled (2014)

Gail Winbury’s A White Scintillation

Ken Weathersby’s #197

Nancy Cohen’s One Moment of Many

Susan Lisbin’s Vociferous Yellow

Lisa Pressman’s Journey

On October 8, 2015, an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 120 people joined Morris Arts at the free opening reception for the Gallery at 14 Maple’s thirteenth exhibit, entitled CONTRASTING ABSTRACTIONS.For this occasion, the Exhibition Committee of Morris Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, with guest curator, Virginia Fabbri Butera, PhD, selected works by the following outstanding New Jersey artists, Christine Barney (Jersey City), Nancy Cohen (Jersey City), Susan Lisbin (Orange), Lisa Pressman (West Orange), Christine Tenaglia (Wildwood Crest), Ken Weathersby (Montclair) and Gail Winbury (Westfield). The exhibit explores the artists’ varied approaches to abstraction – through the use of different media (glass, wood, fabric, paint, resin, handmade paper, wire, etc.), composition, color and vision. Christine Barney’s sculptural glass works highlight color and explore new geometric forms, while Susan Lisbin’s organic, almost anthropomorphic sculptures evoke whimsy and a sense of the fantastic. In Nancy Cohen’s hands, glass art assumes unexpected and fascinating organic forms – in combination with other media such as metal, glass, wire, handmade paper, and resin. Christine Tenaglia’s wood pieces have a sense of presence and monumentality far beyond their modest proportions while Ken Weathersby’s geometric approach to abstraction utilizes precise patterning and reveals underlying physical structures to engage his viewers. Gail Winbury’s lyrical abstract paintings showcase her distinctive use of color and design while Lisa Pressman’s works focus on line and hint at hidden codes through incorporation of alphabetic and numeric marks.

Click HERE to see a catalogue of the exhibit. Click HERE to read art critic Ralph Bellantoni’s excellent writeup on this exhibit.

Curator Virginia Fabbri Butera, PhD (photo by Wayne Roth)

Curator Virginia Fabbri Butera, PhD, adds, “Since the mid-19th century, visual artists have been experimenting with the creation of non-figurative imagery in 2-D and 3-D objects. In this exhibition we have a wonderful opportunity to contemplate works by seven mid-career New Jersey artists who are focusing on important metaphors about contemporary abstraction. By manipulating varied substances, colors, and structures in nonrepresentational arrangements, the artists suggest energy, emotion, meaning and psychological inferences and interactions that underlie both 21st century art and life.”

The Gallery at 14 Maple is a distinctive space located on the 3rd floor of the LEED certified “green” building at 14 Maple Avenue in Morristown, NJ.

Morris Arts gratefully acknowledges sponsorship for this exhibit by

and

with partnership from and additional support from

The exhibit is open to the public Monday-Friday from 10am to 4pm and by appointment, and will remain on display until February 19, 2016. Visit www.morrisarts.org or call (973) 285-5115 for additional information, including the exhibit catalogue which contains details and sale prices for all works. The Gallery at 14 Maple is a barrier-free facility. Individuals needing special accommodation should contact Kadie Dempsey at (973) 285-5115, x 17 or kdempsey@morrisarts.org.

A SURE HAND
February 25-August 27, 2015

On February 25, 2015, from 6-8pm, Morris Arts will host the opening reception for its thirteenth exhibit, A SURE HAND, at the Gallery at 14 Maple.For this occasion, the Exhibition Committee of Morris Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation selected Sassona Norton (Bedminster), Doug DePice (Secaucus), Neal Korn (Union) and Arlene Gale Milgram (Trenton) for their expertise, talent and vision. As Curator Dick Eger, notes: “We selected works that embodied the defining element of drawings – simplicity…Drawing juxtaposes the austerity of the single line with the power of the image that emerges. It is the sure hand of these artists that transforms the humble into the extraordinary.”

Left: Sassona Norton’s drawing, The Gift.

Responding to the “rich architecture” of hands, Sassona Norton’s works focus on the intricacies and complexity of the hand. Providing Norton with its variety of shapes and forms, the hand can mark the passing of time and express a remarkable range of emotions through gesture and position. By using a much larger scale, filling an entire canvas with hands, Norton intensifies the details of the hands, capturing a sculptural quality, implying what is absent and reflecting both tangible and intangible qualities of humanity. As Curator Eger adds, Norton philosophizes “about the shortness of life, the concept of yearning, the sadness of want and the fierce desire to change reality. She effortlessly folds these themes into her exuberant charcoals of hands.”

With work that is both visceral and metaphorical, Doug DePice captures the horror of the Holocaust in his dark and powerful drawings. Inspired by Eli Wiesel’s book, Night, Depice describes his works such as The Chimneys thus: “I found the imagery of the smoke to appear heavy with the death of countless souls, and also thick with madness.” Images of the Crematorium are “succinct, frightening” and he adds, “To me, these forms are like giant tombstones of history.” With his portraits of Anne Frank, DePice strives to give some artistic expression to Anne Frank’s haunting words. In the portrait of Anne’s face with tape and charcoal, he states, “I wanted the surface to be scarred, marked and ripped as a visual reminder of the distress, anxiety, and uneasiness which gnawed daily at Anne’s psychological well-being.” DePice wants art to be a light in a world filled with the “darkness of ignorance and hate.”

Artist Arlene Gale Milgram considers her art to be abstract but, at its core, her way “of processing my life experience.” She channels her thoughts and works in different densities and rhythms, often reclaiming resources from “failed” works to start new pieces. Mixed media works are layered as is life – “full of false starts and new beginnings.” She adds, “The scars that remain are maps of time and experience.” More recently, she has focused on aging, support systems and “the fragile threads that hold us together.” She doesn’t expect the viewer to read her “story” in the works but rather to engage them, involve them in her images and enable them to connect to “shared humanity.”

The drawings of Neal Korn present us with a unique juxtaposition of familiar imagery and unusual, striking perspectives. A simple portrait is literally “turned on its head” in a wash of color in Head Over to Seaport Marine and his portrayal of iconic images such as Lincoln’s monument or the Union Cannon grab the eye with their imaginative and dramatic vantage points as well as with a touch of humor and whimsy. “That is my head being blown out of the cannon,” he remarked. His “Icon” series includes drawings of images from Sandy Hook (NJ), Philadelphia (PA), NYC (NY) and Baltimore (MD). Combining a tight, analytical drawing style with the “loose” application of rice paper, to provide texture and contrast and add an intuitive component, Korn creates images of dramatic and intriguing appeal.

Each of these four artists uses the medium of drawing to capture subtleties, delicacy, monumentalism and gesture in distinctive and memorable ways. Not the two dimensional tracing of a line on a surface here -but rather the power, the volume, motion and weight of each artist’s vision is captured in these exceptional and dramatic drawings which redefine the usual understanding of this medium and enhance our appreciation of its inherent magic.

The exhibit is open to the public Monday-Friday from 10am to 4pm and by appointment, and will remain on display until August 27, 2015. Visit www.morrisarts.org or call (973) 285-5115 for additional information, including the exhibit catalogue which contains details and sale prices for all works. The Gallery at 14 Maple is a barrier-free facility. Individuals needing special accommodation should contact Kadie Dempsey at (973) 285-5115, x 17 or kdempsey@morrisarts.org.

SANDY: Destruction/Constructions

September 11, 2014 -February 12, 2015

More than 150 people attended Morris Arts’ opening reception on September 11, 2014 for its new exhibit at the Gallery at 14 Maple, entitled SANDY: Destruction / Constructions. For its 12th show, the Exhibition Committee of Morris Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation selected artists Bruce Perlmutter (Red Bank), Kevin Burkitt (Manasquan), Laura Petrovich Cheney (Asbury Park) and Roddy Wildeman (Belmar) specifically for the high quality of their work. As curator Dick Eger, notes: “This exhibit by four artists from the Jersey shore memorializes the destruction from Superstorm Sandy and celebrates artists for their tenacity, perseverance and creativity of the human spirit through their art.”

As noted in Eger’s essay, photographer Kevin Burkitt explores “the post-Hurricane landscape one night at a time in his series, 91 Days, Countless Nights.” He uses “long exposures to shoot only at night, his work amplifies the ‘sadness and desperation,’ shore town by town. The quiet eeriness of his photographs uncovers the desolate beauty within the tragedy.”

While Burkitt focuses his energy on documenting the destructive power of the storm, the other three artists turn their attention to constructing new visions from the detritus of the storm.

Inspired by her knowledge and experiences with traditional quilt designs, Laura Petrovich Cheney preserves the original, now scarred painted surfaces of wood from damaged or destroyed structures to create powerful three dimensional patterns in her wall pieces. These wooden “quilts” evoke a sense of comfort rather than a reminder of the destructive power of the storm.

Eger notes that, in the wake of thousands of trees felled by Hurricane Sandy, woodturner Bruce Perlmutter “literally turned these fallen souls into elegant vases, bowls and plates on his lathe. His woodturnings transform dead wood into functional art. When light hits the newly exposed surfaces, the subtle graining, warm tactile nature of his pieces draws the viewer to hold and caress each piece … It is less of a restoration and more of a second life that he imbues in his pieces.”

Artist Roddy Wildeman’s dramatic starburst formations pulsate with enormous vitality…drawing the eye into multiple vortex points and sometimes creating optical illusions in the process. Intensely mindful of the history inherent in his materials, Wildeman carves the names of the cities and towns onto each work – thus documenting the location from which he has salvaged the wood used in each piece. Wildeman “feels an intimate connection working with these materials knowing that they have passed through the hands of others. They have sentimental value because they have been part of homes and the families that lived and died there.”

Each of these four artists has a unique response to this devastating storm. Whether documenting the hurricane’s destructive power or creating beauty from its detritus, each artist adds a new, inspiring dimension to our understanding of Nature’s fury and its aftermath.

L-R: Curator Dick Eger, artist Kiyomi Baird, Selection Committee member Elaine Rastocky, and members of the public enjoy the reception; the Carcich family explres the exhibit (artist Dan Fenelon in background); Bruce Perlmutter discusses his bowls with Morris Arts Board President Tom McMillian.

Be sure to check HERE to see additional photos and coverage by Kevin Coughlin in MorristownGreen.com. Click HERE for additional coverage by the AIR Gallery about the exhibit.

Morris Arts gratefully acknowledges sponsorship for this exhibit by with partnership from

and additional support from .

CAPTURING NATURE, April 3-August 27, 2014

Nearly 180 people attended the April 3rd free opening reception for Morris Arts’ exciting new exhibit, Capturing Nature at the Gallery at 14 Maple? The Gallery’s 11th exhibit and 2nd invitational, Capturing Nature is curated by Dick Eger and features works by textile artist Natalia Margulis (Livingston) and Joseph Losavio (Sandyston), selected specifically for the high quality of their work and for their distinctive and imaginative interpretation of nature by the exhibition committee of Morris Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

Internationally exhibited fiber artist Natalia Margulis, born in Russia, has worked as a full-time artist in the USA since 1993, consistently gaining recognition and winning top awards for her works. She describes her approach to textile art as follows: “Inspired by nature’s sublime beauty, I use a needle as a versatile instrument to recreate our natural environment as an embroidered textile. With my stitchery, I investigate and express the endless transformation of nature through the seasons, from new life to decay. The fluid and supple qualities of fiber allow me to reconstruct the natural forms and textures which fascinate me… I am especially interested in creating the illusions of movement, delicacy, light and shadow.”

Commenting on her medium, she adds, “Embroidered pictures, by means of their softness and vulnerability, awaken a deep sense of belonging to the organic world: through visual perception we experience physical tactility. The fragility of fiber is used to indicate the fragility of the world and reflects my passionate desire to help save and protect it. Trying to expand the possibilities to express myself, I include all kinds of hand and machine stitches and often some elements of other fiber techniques such as dyeing, fusing, gilding, beading, heat distressing and embossing. These are my tools to achieve my art.”

Above: Natalia Margulis’ textile, Blue Reflections

Joseph Losavio’s works utilize a variety of media including oil, collage, and handmade papers and reflect his complex, nuanced and intellectually layered life view. Although inspired by a number of Eastern and Western masters, Losavio’s work is nevertheless strikingly fresh, with bold shapes, colors and images that he describes as capturing “earthly desire and spiritual transcendence, realism and abstraction.” Often combining multiple landscapes within one work, Losavio creates scenes which have a mystical, haunting and highly poetic quality and which draw the viewer into his lush and intricate world.

Left: Joseph Losavio’s The Music That Transcends All Coming In And Going Forth”, oil on canvas.

Citing the timelessness and astonishing power of 25,000-40,000 year old cave paintings in Spain and Curator Dick Eger comments, “But, it is the very act of an artist interrupting, then rendering an image directly from nature – capturing nature – that is at the heart of this exhibit.” Eger likens Margulis’ works – which can take form two months to three years to complete – to the perfection found in the radiant illuminated manuscripts of the early Renaissance. Instead of liturgical verse, however, Margulis’ subject matter is the natural world which she captures with uncompromising skill and detail.

Of Losavio’s work, Eger states Losavio’s canvases “are not merely scenes conjured in Joe’s mind but rather each, a record of this visionary’s journey – a painterly travelogue.” Eger notes that Losavio blends multiple streams of thoughts and ideas into a cohesive philosophy and then presents it “in front of us so that we too can enjoy his world. His rich palette and exotic treatment of his subject is often suffused in the mysticisim that so fascinates him and that he has embraced in his life.”

The exhibit is open to the public Monday-Friday from 10am to 4pm and by appointment, and will remain on display until August 27, 2014. Visit www.morrisarts.org or call (973) 285-5115 for additional information, including the exhibit catalogue which contains details and sale prices for all works.

SEEING SPACE

September 26, 2013 – March 21, 2014

On September 26, 2013, 199 enthusiastic people enjoyed the opening reception for Morris Arts’ tenth exhibit and first invitational show entitled Seeing Space. The Exhibition Committee of Morris Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation selected Willie Cole (Newark), Wayne Charles Roth (Mountain Lakes) and Kiyomi Baird (Far Hills) specifically for the high quality of their work and for their imaginative treatment and interpretation of space.

As the curator, Dick Eger notes: “Space can be as mundane as the comfortable distance between two people or as territorial as ‘you’re in my space’… Today, computers run out of space in their memory. Humans do too. Space, like air, (for most people), is taken for granted but is an essential ingredient in our lives … Space can be both ephemeral and permanent – yet ever changing.” He adds, “The three artists whose works contributed to Seeing Space use their concept of space as a vehicle to direct, express and propel their work into another dimension.”

Noted contemporary African American sculptor and winner of numerous national awards, Willie Cole, is best known for assembling and transforming ordinary domestic and used objects such as irons, ironing boards, high-heeled shoes, hair dryers, bicycle parts, wooden matches, lawn jockeys, and other discarded appliances and hardware, into imaginative installations and powerful works of art. Cole’s transformation of common objects and the space they inhabit is clear in the intimacy of his Mother and Child, an assemblage of black patent leather high heels, and in his Downtown Goddess, the bronze painted assemblage of women’s shoes which portrays a beguiling, intriguing female figure.

Above: Wayne Charles Roth’s Resolution.

“A painter for the 21st century,” Wayne Charles Roth uses pixels instead of brush strokes and pigments,blending the worlds of fine art, photography, and technology. With old world craftsmanship and attention to detail, he uses multiple layers of composition to create compelling, fluid and dramatic images through digital printing on Plexiglas. Eger notes that Roth’s “works seem to freeze a moment in a stellar explosion or supernova,” capturing that intense energy and reflecting what Roth describes as the “hard-edged world we inhabit, filled with technology, noise, color and movement.” Roth’s largest work, Immersion, is overwhelming in its size, power and presence and, as with his other works, it presents the viewer with a sense of layered depth and the complex relationship between inner and outer space.

Kiyomi Baird blends Western and Eastern sensibilities and varied media in her treatment of space. As Eger notes, her mixed media and oil pieces, including Bamboo, Celestial, Cloud, Vibration and Endless Vow “embrace her Asian sensibilities and radiate a Zen quiet of inner rapture and peace.” Her elegant and “meticulously executed” monotypes such as On the Road, Surfing, and Red Planet reflect the West while her digitally printed pieces on Plexiglas, Cosmic Blush and Colloidal Suspension, blend elements both worlds.

The exhibit, housed in the Gallery at 14 Maple on the 3rd floor of the LEED certified “green” building at 14 Maple Ave. in Morristown, is open to the public Monday-Friday from 10am to 4pm and by appointment, and will remain on display until March 21, 2014. Visit www.morrisarts.org or call (973) 285-5115 for additional information, including the exhibit catalogue which contains details and sale prices for all works.

The Gallery at 14 Maple is a barrier-free facility. Individuals needing special accommodation should contact Kadie Dempsey at (973) 285-5115, x 17 or kdempsey@morrisarts.org.

March 27th- August 21, 2013

On March 27, 2013, 227 people attended the opening for the latest juried exhibition, Rites of Spring, honoring the 100th Anniversary of Igor Stravinsky’s influential ballet score and the controversial Armory show in NYC, touted as the first International Exhibition of Modern Art. The avant-garde nature of Stravinsky’s score introduced dramatically new approaches to tonality, meter and rhythm. In a narrative sense, Stravinsky’s work draws upon Russian pagan rites in honor of spring. Similarly, the Armory Show, which opened in March of that same year, reflected breaks with artistic traditions with the introduction of new visual languages such as Cubism, Fauvism and Futurism. In the spirit of that iconoclastic and innovative moment, this exhibit presents 37 artworks by 36 artists which challenge conventional approaches to media, push the limits of traditional uses and processes or address themes of transformation, ritual and rebirth to herald the coming of spring. The exhibit is guest curated by Jeanne Brasile, Curator of the Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University.

L-R: Freeholder Ann Grossi talks with Board member Dick Eger; artist Alice Harrison with her work aMUSEment; Sculptor Freya Gervasi with her work Lily; artist Wes Sherman with his work, National Park #3.

The public is invited to view the exhibit at The Gallery at 14 Maple, a distinctive space located on the 3rd floor of the LEED certified “green” building at 14 Maple Avenue, Morristown, NJ. The exhibit is open to the public Mondays-Fridays from 10am to 4pm,and by appointment, and will remain on display until August 21, 2013. Visit www.morrisarts.org or call (973) 285-5115 for additional information.

The exhibit located in the Gallery at 14 Maple, a distinctive space located on the 3rd floor of the LEED certified “green” building at 14 Maple Avenue, Morristown, NJ. It is open to the public Mondays-Fridays from 10am to 4pm, and by appointment, and will remain on display until August 21, 2013. Visit www.morrisarts.org or call (973) 285-5115 for additional information.

The Gallery at 14 Maple is a barrier-free facility. Individuals needing special accommodation should contact Kadie Dempsey at (973) 285-5115, x17 or at kdempsey@morrisarts.org.

On June 8, 20213, The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Morris Arts welcomed concertgoers and art lovers to hear Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring performed live by the NJSO and to see the “Rites of Spring” juried exhibition at the Gallery at 14 Maple on Saturday, June 8, 2013.

Stravinsky’s landmark ballet score for The Rite of Spring sparked a riot at its premiere with its pulse-pounding rhythms and musical innovation.

Joffrey Ballet’s recreation of the original ballet; Composer Igor Stravinsky

Over 160 people attended the Opening Reception for the Arts Council’s latest juried exhibition entitled Giving Voice, featuring 34 works by 25 artists who live or work in New Jersey. Curated by Margaret O’Reilly, Curator of Fine Art at the New Jersey State Museum, the exhibit showcases these artists’ unique and creative interpretations of the theme, Giving Voice. This exhibition celebrates and is in conjunction with the 14th biennial Dodge Poetry Festival, North America’s largest poetry event, which takes place on October 11-14, 2012.

An overarching theme of the Festival, the process of “giving voice” allows the individual to bring his or her individual experience (their “voice”) to the words of a poem. In keeping with that theme, artists were invited to submit a visual interpretation/response to this excerpt from the poem entitled “Time’s Passage” by Fernando Pessoa (which is also quoted on the 2012 Dodge Poetry Festival poster):

I was brought up by Imagination,I always travelled by her hand,And thus I always loved, hated, spoke, thought,Having every day this window before me,Every hour being mine in this way.

The Arts Council gratefully acknowledges sponsorship for this exhibit by The Morristown CraftMarket which takes place October 19-21, 2012 at the Morristown Armory, 430 Western Ave., Morristown, NJ. Show hours are Fri. 10/19 from 5pm-9pm; Sat., 10/20 from 10am-6pm; and Sun., 10/21 from 10am-5pm. Visit www.morristowncraftmarket.org for more details. The Arts Council gratefully acknowledges additional support from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. Visit www.grdodge.org for more information on the Dodge Poetry Festival.

The exhibit is open to the public Mondays-Thursdays from 10am to 4pm, on Fridays from 10am to 1pm and by appointment, and will remain on display until March 1, 2013. Visit www.morrisarts.org or call (973) 285-5115 for additional information, including the exhibit catalogue which contains details and sale prices for all works.

Prior exhibit:

disconnected

Lisa Ficarelli-Halpern’s Noveau Richelieu and Lady with Bluetooth

Nearly 250 people attended the the May 2nd opening reception for the new juried exhibition entitleddisconnected at the Gallery at 14 Maple. Featuring 48 works by 36 artists who live or work in New Jersey, the show is curated by Jonathan Greene and showcases these artists’ visual commentaries about how people, places and things can today be uniquely connected, disconnected or both at the same time. The works utilize a wide variety of media, including vinyl laminate, oil, acrylic, graphite, fabric collage, photo encaustic, pencil/wax crayon, ceramic raku, charcoal, wood, Scrabble tile mosaic, and more. “With humor, whimsy, and poignancy, these works inspire us to think about our contemporary world and the way we connect (or don’t) with others,” said Anne Aronovitch, Executive Director of the Arts Council.

The public is invited to see this thought-provoking exhibit at the Gallery at 14 Maple, a distinctive space located on the 3rd floor of the LEED certified “green” building at 14 Maple Avenue in Morristown, NJ.

L-R; TD Bank Vice President Martin Frey with Assistant Vice President Rick Sandillo and Curator Jonathan Greene;
Artist Robert Gagauf with his work, St. Bart’s Girl; Artist Lyman Dally with his works, Disparate Objects #1 and #2; Artist Eva Albert with her daughter.

To read the artists’ statements and see the works included in the exhibit, click on catalogue.

The Arts Council gratefully acknowledges sponsorship for this exhibit by

Additional support is also provided by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

The exhibit is open to the public Mondays-Thursdays from 10am to 4pm and on Fridays from 10am to 1pm and by appointment, and will remain on display until September 5, 2012. Visit www.morrisarts.org or call (973) 285-5115 for additional information.